Written Answers

Friday 5 May 2000

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Scottish Executive News Release SE0926/2000, when the extra £2.5 million to specialist cereal growers from November 2000 was first announced, and on how many occasions this funding was referred to in press releases between this date and 30 March 2000.

Ross Finnie: The change in the base area arrangements under the Arable Area Payments Scheme which will lead to the specialist cereal growers in the Scottish non-Less Favoured Area receiving an additional £2.5 million was first announced on 26 August 1999. There were no further announcements until that made on 30 March 2000 when the assistance to specialist cereal growers was publicised along with the other measures.

Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 1999

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its timetable is for the Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 1999 to come before the Parliament for consideration.

Susan Deacon: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that the proposed Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 2000 have recently been communicated to the European Commission for clearance in accordance with the provisions of Council Directive 98/34/EC laying down procedures for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations. Since one aspect of the regulations goes beyond the scope of Directive 92/46/EEC, which these regulations implement, the European Commission has three months in which to respond.

  It will, therefore, be at least July before these regulations will be laid before the Scottish Parliament.

Enterprise

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Grampian Enterprise spent in attracting the World Corporate Games to Aberdeen in July 2000, which companies have agreed to take part and whether a list of sponsors is available.

Henry McLeish: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and I have asked the Chairman to reply to the member. A copy of the reply will be placed in SPICe.

Freedom of Information

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why, given the requirement in the Scottish Ministerial Code that Ministers should refuse to provide information only when disclosure would not be in the public interest, it did not consider it to be in the public interest, in accordance with the relevant statute and the Government’s Code of Practice on Information, to provide the information requested in its answers to questions S1W-4642 and S1W-4662 by Sarah Boyack on 21 March 2000.

Sarah Boyack: Disclosure of information which would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion is exempted from the commitment to provide information under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive information.

Health

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which of the scenarios proposed by the Tayside Acute Services Review Interim Findings: A Case for Change Toward a New Model of Health Delivery In Tayside will be costed and when these costings will be completed.

Susan Deacon: All six of the potential scenarios will be costed and evaluated against non-financial criteria as part of their development by about July 2000. This process will be carried out by Clinical Working Groups established by the Review Project Team and representing the interests of the range of relevant professional disciplines.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the effect will be of physiotherapy contracts in Lothian being required to be with the NHS rather than with the private sector at the choice of general practitioners and how this proposal will affect waiting lists, waiting times and treatment lists.

Susan Deacon: Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust has undertaken a review of its physiotherapy services with a view to improving services to patients and bringing private physiotherapy contracts into the NHS. Completion of this process is likely to take some time as it is dependent on the recruitment of suitably trained physiotherapists. Consequently, a phased programme of change is being undertaken to ensure that patient waiting times are not compromised.

National Parks

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which Ministers will handle the National Parks (Scotland) Bill.

Donald Dewar: The Minister for Transport and the Environment has asked the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, Nicol Stephen, to support her on the parliamentary stages of the National Parks (Scotland) Bill.

Public Appointments

Ms Margaret Curran (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses it has received to its consultation on the modernisation of public appointments.

Mr Jack McConnell: By Thursday 4 May, a total of 88 responses had been received. A number of individuals and organisations have asked for further time to prepare their responses and accordingly I have decided to extend the deadline until 31 May to allow as many people as possible to contribute to the debate.

  I have been encouraged by the considerable thought and effort which has gone into the responses received thus far. It is clear that the public appointments system is an area of genuine interest to many people and they welcome to opportunity to make their views known.

  Public bodies play a vital part in the governance of Scotland and I would urge as many people as possible – including members of the Parliament – to submit their views on how we can modernise the public appointments system.

Schools

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to encourage Scottish schools to develop websites similar to that found at http://www.halcyon.com/arborhts/arborhts.html.

Peter Peacock: There are already many Scottish schools with excellent websites. Examples of good practice are shared through the SCET website at http://www.scet.com/educ/online/schools.asp . A more complete directory of Scottish school websites will shortly be made available to all teachers and pupils through the National Grid for Learning Scotland website at http://www.ngflscotland.gov.uk/